


Axe Lessons

by AParticularlyLargeBear



Series: Lessons [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, First Kiss, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 06:56:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5957917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AParticularlyLargeBear/pseuds/AParticularlyLargeBear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Femslash February 2016: Sully can't sleep. Neither, she finds, can the Shepherds' tactician, who may need a little pep talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Axe Lessons

Sully couldn’t sleep. It happened sometimes, when the Shepherds had been too long on the road. Her energy got all pent up, and there weren’t enough opportunities to have a good hard workout when she was spending most of the day in the saddle. Outriding for the Shepherds’ column was exercise in its own right, just not the type that Sully really needed. She craved a gut-busting, lung-bursting run in the small hours of the morning, going and going until it felt like her legs were going to fall off. Except she was needed to be on top form, and that meant exhausting herself in that fashion was out of the question. Wouldn’t be able to do much good for the Shepherds if she was too tired to fight.

Unfortunately, that had left Sully spending the last hour tossing and turning in her tent before finally giving up and getting out of bed. Maybe walking a lap or two around the camp would tire her out enough to get some rest. If not, then at least she could break up the tedium of the night’s watch for those posted on sentry duty. Who was it tonight, again?

Oh, right. Sully mentally revised her objective to ‘check they aren’t asleep’. Vaike and Gaius had been known to take a… relaxed approach to standing guard.

Halfway through the first lap, Sully’s ears pricked up. Not too far off, she heard a muffled shout. It came from somewhere amidst the trees surrounding the Shepherds’ camp, and was followed quickly by another. Alarm? Battle cry? Were they under attack? It seemed further distant from the camp than any of the sentries should have been patrolling. Still, not to check it out would be stupid. It wouldn’t be the first time Risen had got the drop on them, and hell, if it was those undead monstrosities, Sully would be very glad to crack a few skulls.

Loosening her sword in its sheath, Sully hurried towards the source of the noise, mentally preparing herself for battle. Oh man but she was ready to put some glowy-eyed freaks in the ground. There was the sound of clashing metal, a solid _thunk_ as a blade collided with something, another shout – definitely a war cry. Sully was close now, just through this next cluster of foliage. She drew her sword, leapt forward, bursting through the underbrush to confront…

A small blonde-headed woman attempting to prise an axe loose from a tree. No fighting. No Risen.

Sully pulled up short and blinked once, twice. Of all the things she’d expected to find, the Shepherds’ strategist wrestling with a weapon embedded into a tree trunk was not one of them.

“Uh… Eddi?” she ventured.

Eddi just about leapt out of her skin, whirling around and taking a hop to the side, attempting to conceal the axe with her body. Considering her diminutive stature, however, this was of limited success. A red flush crept across her freckled cheeks, and Sully had to drag her eyes away from the sight. Damn. She was cute as a button.

“Sully! Hey! Um. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Sully rested her sword on her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Me? How ‘bout you? You’re our tactician. You need sleep more than anyone.”

“I wasn’t tired,” Eddi replied without much conviction. It was difficult to tell, what with how her eyes seemed to be perpetually closed, but she was avoiding Sully’s gaze.

Sully snorted. “That’s a load of bull,” indeed, she could see the bags under Eddi’s eyes from here. “Work that brain of yours any harder and smoke would be coming out your ears.”

Uncharacteristic irritation flashed across Eddi’s face. “There are just some… things that I need to think about. Alone.”

“Oh hell no,” Sully scowled. “I ain’t letting you fob me off like that. C’mon, what’s eating ya?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Eddi told her shoes.

“Tch…” Sully marched over, reached past Eddi, and wrenched the axe out of the tree with some effort. “We’re friends, right? I ain’t trying to pressure you or anything, but don’t expect me to believe nothing’s wrong when you run off in the middle of the night to whale on trees.”

Eddi sighed and made an attempt at a smile. “Looks like you’ve uncovered my dark secret. I really hate trees.”

“Heh, nice try,” Sully shook her head. “Maybe we can start with this though,” Sully gestured with the axe, before propping it against the tree it had been wedged into. “Since when are axes your thing?”

“I was practising,” Eddi said immediately, crossing decidedly non-muscular arms across her chest.

“At night.”

“Yes.”

“On trees.”

“Yes!”

Sully rubbed the back of her head. “I don’t get it. If you wanna learn, why not just ask Frederick? Hell, I bet even Vaike could show you the ropes,” she hesitated. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

Another faint shadow of a smile. “Don’t worry. ‘Teach’ won’t hear it from me,” she sighed again. Soft. Defeated. “It’s just… it’s a personal thing, Sully. Private. I don’t want lessons.”

“Why the hell not?” Sully frowned. “You ain’t getting all proud on me, are you? No shame in asking for help; thought you of all people would know that.”

For several long seconds, Eddi didn’t say anything, eyes fixed at some distant point through the trees. “I didn’t want to explain,” her voice was small. “They would have asked why I needed to learn when I can already use magic.”

“Oh,” Sully hadn’t actually thought of that. “And that’s a problem ‘cause…?”

Eddi looked down at her hands, turned them one way, and then the other. “I’ve been having nightmares. Premonitions.”

“Involving your magic?”

Sorcery had always been something strange and foreign to Sully. Give her swords and lances any day. She didn’t have time for curses or incantations. Actually, hexes just wigged her out, particularly the idea that a dark mage could cast one on her without her even knowing. Brr.

“…Sort of,” Eddi answered. She shifted awkwardly, still not meeting Sully’s eyes. “Sully, look, I appreciate you-“

“Nope,” Sully cut her off. “Finish what you started, or you’re never gonna feel any better.”

Eddi laughed. Hard, but genuine. “That’s Sully advice right there. Hit things head on, huh?”

Sully smirked. She had her there. “Hey, ain’t gonna apologise for who I am. Quit dodging the question though.”

Another heavy sigh. “I keep dreaming about… things. I see myself using magic. Hurting others. Farmers, townspeople…” her breath hitched. “Other Shepherds. Our friends,” she shook her head. “I don’t really want to go into the gory details.”

Sully cocked her head to one side. “You don’t seem the type to be rattled by a few bad dreams, Eddi.”

“These aren’t just dreams, Sully,” Eddi’s face was tightly scrunched up. After a second, Sully realised that she was trembling. “They’re visions. It’s like I’m remembering something that hasn’t happened yet.”

“Huh,” Sully frowned, considering. Wasn’t sure she could blame Eddi for getting freaked out; she had no memories, so to ‘remember’ anything had to be unsettling. “So the axe is… if you learn it, you won’t use magic, your dreams won’t happen?”

“Sounds silly when you put it like that, doesn’t it?” Eddi nodded. “But that’s the logic, more or less,” she cast a glance off to the axe. “Sorry. I shouldn’t worry you with my problems-”

“Hey,” Sully said it quietly, but firmly. Eddie stopped. “We’re friends, okay? I know I’m no good at this kind of crap, but …” she groped for words. She really wasn’t good at this kind of crap. “Everyone’s scared sometimes. What else are friends for, if not beating the tar outta your fears?”

Eddi choked out a laugh, and then suddenly there was a _whump_ as the smaller woman buried her face into Sully’s shoulder. Muffled sniffling drifted up, and a few seconds later, she began to sob against Sully. For her part Sully, a touch awkwardly, put her arms around Eddi and held her gently.

“Gods, I’m such a mess,” Eddi mumbled. “Showing myself up.”

“Naw,” Sully chuckled. “Showing yourself up would be falling off your horse in front of everyone. You’re good.”

They stood there for a while, Eddi crying her way through her emotions, and Sully just, well, holding her. She wasn’t really sure what to say, or even how to deal with the situation. It kind of sucked, actually. She wanted to be able to reassure Eddi, restore the perpetual smile on the tactician’s face. It felt wrong, seeing her upset; Eddi was always so upbeat and optimistic that anything other than good cheer seemed thoroughly out of place.

Maybe that was why she felt she couldn’t confide her fears, and instead snuck out at night to enact whatever solution that bright spark mind could think of.

At length, the sobs died down, and Eddi pulled back, just a little. Her face was streaked with tears, but she managed a smile. “Thanks, Sully,” a soft sigh. “I wish I could be more like you.”

Sully blinked, taken aback. “Like me? Why would you wanna be like me for?”

“You’re strong, confident, tough, never let anyone tell you what to do. Why wouldn’t I?”

Sully grinned. “And you ain’t confident? Eddi you’re about the smartest person I know, bad dreams or not.”

“Yes but…” Eddi shook her head, made a face. “Strategy and people aren’t the same. I can do battlefields. Battlefields don’t ask questions I can’t answer… people do.”

Well, one thing Sully knew is that she disliked seeing Eddi be so down on herself. “Bull. You gotta give yourself more credit,” she thumped her own chest. “Me, you take or you leave, and I ruffle plenty of feathers. You, on the other hand, are a little goddamn angel.”

Eddi giggled, a little snort coming through at the end. “You’re making fun of me now.”

“I’m serious!” protested Sully. “Every Shepherd we’ve got trusts you. The last thing you need is to be more like me. Can you imagine me trying to strategise for us? We’d get eaten alive!” she shook her head, firmly. “Naw. You’re fine just the way you are.”

Eddi was silent once more, and Sully became quite suddenly aware that the shorter woman had never actually moved away. At length, Eddi looked up at her. “An angel?” she ventured.

Sully’s face went inexplicably hot. “Uh, well, y’know. Friendly. Kind. Cute. That kind of thing,” wait, crap. Why did she say that? Crap.

Eddi studied her for a few seconds, and then abruptly, blushed bright red. “I’m glad it was you out here, Sully. I feel much better.”

There was a pang of disappointment which Sully wished she couldn’t trace. Oh come on. As if Eddi was going to actually acknowledge any of the rest of it. Sully cleared her throat and forced a smile. “You gonna be okay, squirt?”

“…Yeah. Yeah, I think so,” she dropped her eyes.

Sully shuffled her boots, took a step back, and then hesitated. “Y’know, if you wanna keep learning the axe, I can help. Just, uh, just offering,” she added hastily.

Eddi’s head snapped back up, and she beamed with delight. Butterflies fluttered in Sully’s stomach. “I’d love that, Sully.”

“Great! Good! Well uh. I’ll see you! Later!” Sully’s heart was pounding, and she knew she had to be flushing as red as her hair. She turned away, and had already taken her first step when something caught her by the wrist.

“Hey, um… S-Sully?”

Sully turned slowly. Eddi withdrew her hand like Sully’s arm was red hot, and her eyes immediately dropped again. “Yeah?”

“I’ve been having the nightmares for a while, but I always blocked them out. I only… I only decided to do this once the Shepherds started showing up in them.”

“Can’t say I blame ya,” Sully grimaced. “That’d mess with anyone’s head,” she wasn’t sure what Eddi was getting at, but she was hardly going to just walk off when the tactician was opening up.

“I can’t stand the thought of hurting any of our friends. And … and…” Eddi swallowed, took a deep breath, and met Sully’s eyes, her own open just a sliver. Green. Bright green. “Especially not you.”

Sully’s mouth went dry. “Especially not…”

It was like the floodgates had opened. “I always looked up to you Sully. You watch my back, you p-put up with my crazy ideas and you push me in training even when I want to give up. You always speak your mind, even to Chrom, and, and I… I care about you, Sully. A-a lot.”

“I…” Sully’s mind was a terrifying blank. Crap! Say something you moron!  She just poured out her heart to you! There had to be something- gah! Cute girl! Actually into her!  “Um, I… uh…”

Eddi’s face fell and she took a step back. “S-sorry, I shouldn’t have-“

Sully grabbed Eddi by the waist, cupped her head in one hand, and dipped her into the fiercest damn kiss she’d ever delivered. A muffled squeak of alarm, but certainly no protest, the tactician’s arms wrapping around Sully’s neck to cling on. Her lips were warm, and her grip was tight, fervent.

Sometime later, Sully surfaced for air.

“Yeah, uh…”Sully stood Eddi back up. She had a slightly dreamy smile on her face. “Uh… same?”

The smile grew wider. “Never change, Sully.”

“Can’t say no to a face like that. I got one condition though.”

“Ah?” Eddi’s smile faltered for an instant.

Sully grinned broadly. “Kiss me again.”

She did so.


End file.
